


Hear Ye

by Eriakit



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Anti-Monarchist Sentiment, Formally Worded Fuck-Yous, Gen, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 11:38:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21098861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eriakit/pseuds/Eriakit
Summary: A knight of the Ebon Blade has volunteered to let Calia Menethil know exactly how the Ebon Blade feels about a Menethil in power.





	Hear Ye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dragomir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragomir/gifts).

> 1: I would like it known that I like Calia. But I do not like the idea of Calia as leader of the Forsaken. It's sick and ridiculous and bad writing and Blizzard should feel bad.  
2: This was written for my dear, wonderful, lovely friend Drago, featuring her baby boy, based on her accidental prompting of my brain, because she hates the idea even stronger than I do. And more violently!

_**"Hear ye,"**_ Anandel called out, tapping his standard twice to the marble floor, voice as deeply resonant, as _echoing_, as he could make it. It carried like thunder carries, rolling out over the hall he had agreed to _meet_ with the she-Menethil in. _**"Hear ye,"**_ he repeated, another _tap tap_ ringing out clearly, and by the time the last of the sound had faded all eyes - and ears - in the room were focused on him. Including _hers._ He knocked his heels together and set his shoulders, standard straight and tall beside him.

"I bring a response from the Death Knights of Archerus and the Ebon Blade in its entirety to the invitation given by the Lady Calia Menethil. Will it be heard?"

Calia stepped forward, graceful and shining. He hated her. He hated every glowing inch of her. He loathed her existence and her _hubris_ and every second she was in the same room as him. He moved only his eyes, locking them onto hers as she approached. She reached out a hand in an elegant gesture of invitation.

"There's no need for this level of formality, Knight. We can speak more privately -"

_**Tap tap**_ went the standard's pole against the floor, and _click_ went her teeth as she snapped her mouth shut, brows raising in offense at being cut off. He resisted the urge to grin, instead calling out at the same volume once again: "I bring a response from the Death Knights of Archerus and the Ebon Blade in its entirety to the invitation given by the Lady Calia Menethil." He kept his gaze level with hers, face impassive. "Will it be heard?"

She twitched, then inclined her head slowly. "I, Princess Calia Menethil, stand ready to receive your response to my offer. Proceed."

He turned with the kind of precision only the dead could achieve to face her full-on, knocking the heels of his saronite boots together again at the end of the motion. The metallic clang underscored his words as he began.

_"Lady_ Menethil," he started, no quieter than he was before, and oh how her eye twitched at the purposeful dismissal of her title. She might or might not care about holding it, but she certainly cared about the insult he was giving her. Saeri had said she would. He was glad he'd listened to her. He fixed his gaze on the middle-distance just above her head, dismissing her but still able to see her reaction. "I come bearing the standard and uniform of the Ebon Blade to make it plain that when I answer you, I answer for _all _of my people. On this day we declare that, to a man, we will _not_ serve in your honor guard."

A few muffled gasps fluttered around the edge of the room. Calia looked as if she might speak and Anandel continued, smooth and quick like a river flowing over a stone. "Additionally, on this day we declare to a man that we will not serve in your _personal_ guard. On this day we declare that we will not serve as city guard, security force, or military force in any of your lands, holdings, or territories." Her jaw was tight and square with her anger, now. Anandel's voice grew stronger with it. "The Ebon Blade has determined that you have no right, not by rule of law, nor by law of inheritance, nor by the will of the people to govern, advise, command, lead, or otherwise gain control over the Ebon Blade or any of its citizens.

"We will not support you. We will not bow to you. We do not recognize you as sovereign, as ruler, as queen or as princess. Your titles hold no weight in our halls. Your name holds only scorn. We will refuse no individual who seeks asylum from your reign. We will negotiate no extradition with you, or with entities acting as your agent. We will entertain no alliance or joint venture beyond what momentary bonds may form through necessity in defense of Azeroth."

He knocked his boot-heels together, twice, so fast the echoes of the sound blended, and lowered his gaze again to look her directly in the eye once more. "No gods. No masters. No kings. No _queens._ The Ebon Blade bids you good day."

He brought the standard down again, harder than before, a _**tap tap**_ loud enough Calia flinched from it, humiliation coloring every line of her face and body. Anandel took a stiff, ceremonial step back from her. "Do you require a repetition of the message, Calia Menethil?" he asked, monotone and dripping with every ounce of cold, dead scorn that he could muster.

She shook her head, taking a moment to work her jaw loose enough to speak. "No, thank you. The message is... is received. You ar-"

He nodded sharply to the room at large and turned on one heel before she could finish, promptly marching back out of the hall. Offended gasps and gossipy whispers followed him out the doors and swirled around him as he mounted the frostwyrm he had flown in on. His honor-guard snapped to attention on their skeletal gryphons, and they took off as one. A singular, undead entity, abjuring any form of Menethil reign.

By the _Sunwell,_ that had felt _good._

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: His honor guard is mostly my DKs who also Hate This but couldn't be trusted to not just cut Calia's head off.


End file.
